Sessions at the United Nations Human Rights Council -- the UN body in Geneva that holds countries to account for their international obligations -- are almost always predictable affairs. Lots of diplomats talking about the same problems year after year. But the UN last week devoted a special session for the first time to free expression on the Internet, and we at Google were pleased to be one of the first private corporations invited to participate in such an official UN event.

The moment signaled how the international community is waking up to the importance of Internet freedom. The UN council’s auditorium was packed with almost 300 people. More than 50 ambassadors and delegates raised their hands to speak. Officials said they had rarely seen so many requests. Obviously, the stakes are high.

Some delegations outlined the limits on free expression and openness that many countries would like to impose. Some even tried to quash the session entirely through procedural means. The critics emphasized the dangers of the Net to promote terrorism, violence, or religious hatred, proposing that governments should be able to limit freedom by deciding how much opposition "legitimate authorities" should face from their citizens.

But many others - the majority, in fact - spoke up in favor of an open Internet where information flows freely. When Gutenberg invented the printing press, many feared the evils in books, argued Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country was the primary sponsor of the session. The same rules that govern freedom of expression on paper or the television airwaves should apply online, he insisted.

For Google, this UN session represented an opportunity to encourage governments to protect free expression online by disclosing when and why they make requests to companies to remove content or turn over information about users. We publish our own Transparency Report. This way, government/citizens can evaluate whether or not laws that may be well intentioned are enhancing/eroding freedoms. But our Report represents at best only a partial view. It would be much better if governments would do this themselves for their entire countries.

This session offered a critical look at the issues facing countries around the world as we debate the future of protecting and promoting the free flow of information online. The stakes are huge and all those who care about keeping the Internet open and free must come together to press the cause.

Posted by William Echikson, Head of Free Expression, Europe, Middle East and Africa

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